Southern Jack Tales

Donald Davis grew up in the mountains of western North Carolina hearing stories that most American children have never heard. He did not know he was hearing anything special, but he was, in fact, learning a number of stories that came to America through Scots-Irish immigrants. These stories were still told in the Appalachians during the 1950s and centered around Jack, a universal legendary figure who, by various names, is found in nearly every culture.

Jack is that everyman who encounters trials common to all: earning a living, winning a mate, subduing tyrants and ogres of all kinds. Jack wins by conquering his own timidity, by engaging his own wit, by plodding along, or simply by blind luck. Like each of us, Jack seeks to make sense of the world and to find his way in it. These stories from Appalachia America will make readers laugh as well as teach them about the importance of caring, fairness and resourcefulness.